It wasn't a "no new taxes" pledge, but Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, the front runner in the Democratic race for governor, did say today that, if elected, he wouldn't raise taxes early in a Brown Administration.

"I don't see the need in the foreseeable future to raise taxes in the near future in Maryland, so that's good news," Brown told the C-4 Show.

However, Brown did not offer any specifics as to how long a "foreseeable future" would be.

Brown said that in his first year as governor, he would form a commission to study tax reform in Maryland.

Brown said that the O'Malley/Brown Administration had inherited a structural deficit when they took office in 2007. Later that year, the legislature, at O'Malley's insistence, approved a series of tax increases including an increase in the sales tax.

A new poll out this weekend found that Brown's lead in the Democratic race widening, as early voting starts on Thursday, and the Primary Election is just 15 days away.

The Baltimore Sun poll of 499 likely Democratic voters finds Brown gets 41-percent of the vote. Attorney General Doug Gansler gets 20-percent. Montgomery County Delegate Heather Mizeur gets 15-percent. The number of voters who are undecided stands at 15-percent. Nine percent would not divulge their preference.

The poll conducted by Opinion Works over four days last week, found that 68-percent of the Brown supporters describe their support for him as "solid."

The same poll surveyed 501 likely Republican voters, with former Ehrlich Administration official Larry Hogan leading the field with 27-percent of the vote. Harford County Executive David Craig and businessman Charles Lollar each have 12-percent, and Delegate Ron George has 6-percent.

The poll found 37-percent of Republicans were undecided.

Brown also leads fundraising of all candidates for governor.

The Brown campaign said today their candidate raised $800,000, in a two-and-a half week period ending Sunday.

The Brown campaign has raised more than $12-million in this year's election cycle, the most of any candidate for governor.